June 21 | Celebrate Juneteenth Through Art, History, and Community at Anacostia Skating Pavilion
Photo: NPS / Kelsey Graczyk
This Juneteenth, the community is invited to gather at Anacostia Park for an afternoon of creativity, reflection, and celebration. Taking place on Sunday, June 21, 2026, at 3 p.m., Juneteenth at Anacostia Park — It's Up to Us explores the theme of liberation through art, community, and self-reliance.
The free event offers opportunities to learn, create, move, and share while honoring the history and ongoing meaning of freedom.
Visitors can join ranger-led storytelling sessions highlighting emancipation and Washington, DC's freedom movements, including the story of Barry Farm, a historic freedmen community whose residents played a key role in the 1949 Anacostia Pool protests that helped advance desegregation efforts in the District.
Attendees can also get creative at a hands-on art station, where they'll design and customize their own tote bags, transforming personal ideas into wearable works of art.
Community members looking to get moving can participate in line dancing led by DMV Pressure, while those who want to share their vision for the future can contribute to a community wish wall focused on hopes and dreams for Anacostia Park and the surrounding neighborhood.
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and serves as a reminder of the continued work of building freedom and opportunity for all. Through history, art, movement, and community dialogue, this event offers a meaningful way to connect the past with the present.
The event is free and open to all ages. Bring your friends, family, creativity, and voice for an afternoon that celebrates freedom, community, and the power of coming together.